


Shatter

by chaoticrandomness



Category: Go! プリンセスプリキュア | Go! Princess Pretty Cure, Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Name Changes, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-08 23:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4325640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticrandomness/pseuds/chaoticrandomness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the cast of Go! Princess Precure find themselves in the world and plot of Revolutionary Girl Utena.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Haruka, are you one hundred percent sure that you want to go to boarding school?” my mom says as we finish loading my bags into the car.

 

“Yes! I’m going to be amazing, and Yui’s been going there for the past year, and she managed to get me a scholarship there, so don’t worry!” I exclaim as I jump into my seat, euphoria pouring through my veins and my smile growing bigger and bigger every second.

 

_Finally! I don’t know how Yui convinced the headmistress into letting me into Ohtori Academy, but she’s always been amazing with words and I’m going to be a step closer to becoming a princess!_

 

“Why can’t I come with you?! I want to become a princess too, not pick up boring cousin Sakura at the airport!” my sister exclaims. Somehow, she got out of Dad’s car….

 

“You can visit me, Momoka. In a few years, you’ll be able to go to Ohtori and become one too.” I answer, as she crosses her hands in front of her chest and storms out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

 

“Does Yui know when their visitation days are? Could you ask them when we can see you again once you get there, Haruka?” my mom asks as we pull out of our driveway and begin our journey into the next page of my new life.

 

_I’ll make sure to do that, Mom._

_The next time you see me, I won’t be a bud, but an awesome flower! I’m sure of that!_

* * *

 

“....can you hear me? Princess, are you alright?”

 

I don’t know how, but I’m not in the car anymore…. instead, I’m walking through a beautiful rose garden shaped like a birdcage and chasing after someone who calls out to me…. a man who’s searching for me.

 

_What’s going on?! Am I just dreaming?!_

“I’ve been waiting for someone like you to come to the academy, Princess.” a tall dark-skinned man with pale hair says as he materializes right in front of me.

 

“Who are you?!” I exclaim, as I trip over my own foot and fall towards him. Thankfully, he catches me in his arms, slipping an elaborate pink key into my right hand.

 

“....call me Kanata, Princess. I wish you well in your future.” he answers, bowing to me as he fades away along with the cage-shaped rose garden and my eyes open to my mom pulling the car into a parking lot.

 

“Haruka, we’ve made it to Ohtori.” she says, as I open the car’s door and almost drop a pink key on the pavement.

 

_Wait…. what?! Did that dream really happen? What’s this key for?_

* * *

 

I’ve been assigned to room 1-03. It sits at the end of a long hallway on the first floor, and the door happens to be locked.

 

_Is someone in here? Who am I rooming with? Are they nice?_

“Haruka, I’m coming….” a familiar voice says as she opens the door, holding a pile of books in her other hand.

 

_I’m rooming with Yui?! That’s awesome!_

“It’s so glad to see you again! I haven’t seen you in so long!” I exclaim, dropping my bags at the door and embracing her.

 

“....nice to see you again, Haruka. I have no clue how I managed to convince them into letting you in, but you’re starting your lessons at Ohtori and that’s all that matters.” Yui says, placing her books on the desk and picking up one of my bags from the doorway.

 

“I mean, you’ve always been such an amazing writer, so you bewitched the headmistress with your words, maybe?” I quip, as I drop the key onto her desk and pick up another bag.

_If anyone could do something like that, it’s Yui. She’s amazingly smart…. and compared to her, I’m an idiot._

_But I’ll be able to grow into a beautiful flower here! I’m sure of it! Right?!_

“So, when do I start becoming a princess? Where is everything? Are the people nice here?” I blurt out as I attempt to figure out which bag Mom put my sheets in…. and Yui’s staring at the key on my desk.

 

_I can’t see what’s so enthralling about a pretty key. Or maybe I accidentally dropped it on something she’s working on?_

“....ah…. I’m sorry, but how did you get this key?” she asks, passing it to me.

 

_I got it in a really weird dream? If I told you exactly what happened, you’d think I was crazy…._

“Why does it matter how I got a tiny key?” I blurt out, hoping to get her off the topic of weird dreams, even though I probably shouldn’t have said that…. and she doesn’t answer, instead going back to her writing.

 

_I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just a really weird story and I don’t even know if what happened was real…._

“Yui, is everything okay?” I ask, hoping that I didn’t do something stupid….

 

“....no, I’m…. fine, I guess. You said you wanted to learn more about the academy's princess in your letters, right?” she answers.

 

“Yes! Tell me everything, Yui! I want to be like her!” I exclaim.

 

Yui spends the rest of my first night at Ohtori telling me about their princess and her lady-in-waiting, how it’s borderline impossible for anyone else to get those positions once they’re filled, and there’s also a prince involved somewhere in that mix, but no one’s ever seen him and he might not exist.

 

_Ohtori…. it’s a princess academy, correct? Then the academy princess should be the best of them all…._

_I’m going to get there, Yui…. at the very least, I’m going to try!_

 

* * *

 

I’m back in that rose garden, and I have no idea how I got here or if I’m merely dreaming.

 

_Maybe I become a different person when I sleep, and said other person lives in a different dimension?_

Unlike before, the garden is filled with shadows of women. I don’t know if they’re mine or someone else’s, but they’re compelling me to follow them….

 

_Since when did this garden resemble a prison?_

“Hello?! Is there anyone here?!” I scream, for the bars are closing in on me as the garden’s spiraling path begins to close in on itself….

 

_“I need you to-”_

What do they want me to do? Did I actually hear that, or was that my imagination? Am I going to spend the rest of my life hearing voices?!

“Haruka, you’re going to be late for class.” Yui says, as I open my eyes to her standing over me with her books.

 

_That was all just a dream?!_

Instantly, I spring out of bed and sprint out the door, not caring that I’m wearing my pajamas or that I have no idea where anything is.

 

* * *

 

I’ve run up four staircases and through at least a million hallways, and all I see are random doors.

_Haruka, think! Which room would be most likely to have a bunch of people in it?_

“....where’s my key, brother?” someone asks, pulling me out of my thoughts. It seems to be coming from the door at the end of the hallway….

 

_Who puts their classrooms on the fifth floor, anyways?_

“I said, where’s the key?! ANSWER ME!” that person screams….

 

_On the one hand, I really shouldn’t ask screaming hysterical people where everything is, but on the other hand, they’re the only person within earshot…._

As I walk towards the door, I can hear more incoherent screams and bangs and what sounds like fabric ripping….

 

_Are they trying to destroy their room? Well, it’s either talk to a lunatic or spend the rest of today wandering around Ohtori…._

 

_Wait, hold on, they’re screaming at their brother…. who is most likely on the receiving end of everything I’m hearing._

 

_I won’t stand for people getting attacked for no reason!_

Adrenaline flows through my veins as I sprint through the halls, tightening my grip on the key in my right hand. No matter what, I have to break down that door….

 

“PRECURE PRINCESS ENGAGE!” I exclaim, as a flash of light engulfs me and the key turns into a rapier, the door falling upon impact with its blade.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“THE PRINCESS OF THE FLOURISHING FLOWERS! PRINCESS FLORA!” I scream, as the falling door unmasks a pair of people lying on the bed and a smokescreen forms in front of me.

 

_Wow, I’m amazing! This is awesome! I have to tell Yui about this!_

“....how did you do that? Tell me, who gave you the key?” a silver-haired woman asks as the smoke clears up around me, staring at me like she’s just seen a ghost.

 

“Tell me, why are you abusing your brother? I won’t stand for people being mistreated!” I answer, raising my sword as energy flows through my veins….

 

_You certainly sound quite a bit like that screaming person that I heard. I’ll try to get you to see the error of your ways before I get your brother out of here._

“....you wish to challenge me for the prince’s hand? Unfortunately, that can’t be done without going through the proper channels of combat, for all here are subservient to my will….” she says, pulling a short sword out of nowhere and disarming me.

 

_That’s a really weird-looking sword…. and what the hell are you talking about?! Ohtori wouldn’t let a crazy person run their academy, and no one sane would condone your actions._

“I won’t follow the will of some random crazy person, and neither will my best friend! If you want to play your insane little game, go ahead, but you’re not going to win!” I exclaim, picking up my own sword while she’s staring at something on the wall.

 

_Is there any way I can get her to see that she’s not justified in whatever she did to her brother without attacking her?_

_I mean, as cool as these powers are…._

“....well, this proves interesting. If you wish to save him, go ahead and go through the dueling system, for you certainly have a strong resolve….” she answers, turning away from the wall as my sword turns back into a little pink key….

 

_Fine. I’ll play your games and win them and get you to see the error of your ways…._

As the silver-haired woman drags me out of her room, I feel like someone is smiling at me.

 

* * *

 

_And, I still have no idea where anything is. Let’s just go back to the dorm or hope someone has a map…._

I slowly make my way down all of the staircases before sprinting back to the dorm, for I feel like someone’s stalking me, and I have no idea why anyone would….

 

_“I have no desire to disturb you, Princess.”_

Someone said that…. or I think someone said that, even though there’s no one anywhere near me and I have no clue why that voice feels so familiar….

 

_Maybe Yui could help? She’s looked into a lot of strange things for her books…._

“Yui?! Are you here?!” I exclaim, impulsively yanking open our door, although she’s probably in class and I’m probably going to have to spend the rest of my first day at Ohtori blindly sprinting around the place….

 

_Well, if you’re going to become a princess, you’re going to have to be calm in every situation life throws at you, Haruka._

_Okay! If I don’t find Yui, I’ll just find someone else and ask them where classes are!_

“....Haruka, I know you don’t want to tell me this, but who gave you that key?” she asks, opening the door and gesturing at the pink key in my hand.

_Yui, I’m sorry for being so rude earlier about that earlier…. but I don’t know if you’ll believe me…. wait, didn’t the crazy lady from earlier start attacking me and her brother over keys as well?_

“On my way here, I fell asleep in the car…. um, I had a dream that I was in this cage-shaped rose garden, and someone gave the key and told me that he wished me well in my future….” I answer as I walk into our room and collapse into the nearest chair.

 

_Yui, please don’t think that I’m going crazy…. this actually happened to me and I thought it was just some weird dream until the key showed up in my lap when I woke up…._

“Anyways, why exactly are the keys so important? I ran into this woman who kept yelling at me about mine when I was looking for the classrooms….” I say, as Yui appears to be fully absorbed in writing something on a notepad.

 

“....the keys…. grant their wielders a certain type of power, and the only people who have them are the headmistress and the two people she’s bestowed their power on…. and it’s fully possible for what happened in your dream to have actually happened to you, Haruka.” she answers, looking up from her notepad.

_Wait…. so the key does grant me magical powers, and I visit a parallel dimension in my dreams?_

_I’m not sure if I should find this all really awesome or really disturbing…._

“....oh, Haruka, someone told me to give this to you?” Yui says, as she passes me a sheet of paper.

 

_Please meet me in the rose garden as soon as possible, Princess Flora. I am interested in meeting you._

_-Amanogawa Kirara._

 

* * *

 

_Do I know her? That name sounds kind of familiar…._

“....Haruka, do you want me to show you there?” Yui asks.

 

“I’d love you to, Yui! Have you told me about her?” I answer, as she grabs my hand and begins to guide me out of our dorm.

 

“...I don’t think so, but you might’ve seen her in that donut commercial she did a few weeks ago or one those TV shows she stars in….” she says.

_She’s a famous actress?! Wow, that’s amazing!_

_Wait…. Yui has a gift with words, and Kirara appears to have one with performance, so does everyone here have some sort of special talent?_

_But if that’s the case, why am I here? I’m…. just ordinary, and there’s nothing I’m really amazing at, and in ten years Yui’s going to be some famous author while I’m just sitting here wasting my life…._

“Princess, you must have hope. I won’t let you fall into despair.”

“....did someone just say something?!” I exclaim, tightening my grip on Yui’s hand, as if it’s my anchor to reality….

 

“Haruka, I was telling you a bit more about Amanogawa’s acting career, since you seemed interested in it….” Yui answers, releasing my hand right in front of a silver gate.

 

_Yui, I was interested, but…. oh, nevermind. I really don’t think anyone wants to know about my despairing thoughts._

“Is the garden here? Why aren’t you coming with me?” I ask, as she begins to walk away from me.

 

“....they only let the people who’ve had keys bestowed upon them enter….” she answers.

 

_So…. the significance of the keys is that they let people into a rose garden?_

_Yui, to tell the truth, I have no idea what I did to get one of these, for there are so many other people here with greater talents than mine…._

“My princess, you have a beautiful heart and a strong will. Isn’t that enough?”

 

I have no idea if I actually heard anyone say anything, but those words yank me out of my thoughts as I place my key into a small hole on the right side of the gate.

 

Instantly, the door opens, unmasking the exact same garden I saw in my dreams.

 

* * *

 

_How is this possible?! Do the keys grant people the ability to access this place in both dreams and reality?_

“It’s very nice to meet you, Princess Flora.” a girl wearing a yellow dress and holding a golden sword quips as she gestures for me to join her.

 

“It’s really nice to meet you too, Kirara! You can call me Haruka, and is there anything you want to do with me?” I answer as I walk to the little pavilion she’s standing in, and my key’s turned into a sword for some reason….

 

_That’s weird, I thought I had to command it to do that. Maybe the gate does that too?_

“I can’t believe how little you know about Ohtori, Haruka.” she says, staring at the floor as I enter the pavilion, which appears to be massive on the inside.

 

“Am I doing something wrong?” I ask, walking towards her in the hopes of comforting her.

 

“Shouldn’t someone who obtained the headmistress’ key know exactly how this works?” she asks.

 

_What exactly am I supposed to be doing right now? Should I be-_

“THE PRINCESS OF THE STARS ABOVE!” she exclaims, pulling me out of my thoughts as she brandishes her sword against my neck….

 

_I’m supposed to fight her?!_

“I won’t spend the rest of my life in the shadow of others!” she exclaims, as I grab my sword and slash it towards hers, thankfully deflecting it….

 

“Why are we doing this?! Is there any other way-” I begin, before her sword almost slices open my cheek and I’m forced to use mine to block her blade….

 

“This is how I was able to obtain the key and my position! I’m not going to let myself be defeated!” she exclaims as she cuts me off.

 

_Just because it’s tradition doesn’t mean it’s a good idea!_

I want to say something to her, want to ask her why she’s so insistent on carrying this duel through to its completion, but she keeps aiming her sword at my body and I don’t want to distract myself from deflecting everything….

 

_When does this end? When someone dies? When we’re both dead?_

“....for all my life, I’ve been living in shadows. Both within and without the academy, I can’t shine in my own right without my light being seen as inferior to those of others….” she rambles, staring at me like she’s performing a monologue for one of her shows.

_It’s like the world is just a massive stage for her…. except she isn’t quite the hero of her own story, but just a random background character…. it’s kind of like me…._

_In another world, could we have been friends?_

 

“What makes you think that you can push me further into the shadow? What makes you think that you’ll be the one responsible for making the world further ignore me?!” she screams, almost slicing open a vein in my neck….

 

“You’re willing to kill me just so people won’t ignore you?!” I exclaim, and I shouldn’t have said that, I wanted to comfort her and reassure her on her acting talent and tell her that I’m just an ordinary girl surrounded by amazing people, not make her stare at me like I just shot her in the face.

 

“This ends now, Haruka!” she exclaims, as her sword knocks me onto the ground and brushes against my neck….

 

_Don’t kill me, please don’t kill me, I don’t want to die, Kirara…_

_Is it tradition, then, for the winner of these duels to have murdered their opponents?! Why didn’t Yui tell me this?! Does she even know that this is how it all ends?!_

“You can create your own ending, Princess.”

 

It’s that voice again, the one that haunts me…. yet why is it causing something that feels like hope to rush through my veins? Why am I hopeful when I’m about to die….

 

“Don’t magic and miracles exist in this world, Princess?”

 

“PRECURE TRINITY EXPLOSION!” I scream, as light flows out of my sword….

 

* * *

 

_What exactly does that attack do?! If what she said about the duels are true…._

I didn’t murder Kirara. The duels don’t end with someone dying, for someone would’ve noticed the sheer amount of dead girls and called the police, and no one in their right mind would let this happen…..

 

She’s lying on the ground in her school uniform, and appears to be wordlessly saying something to me. I’m about to rush over towards her when a bell rings, and the garden dissolves into nothingness.

_What’s going on?! If magic does exist here…. why isn’t it being used to help others? Couldn’t it be used to revive people and save them and….._

Somehow, I’m sprinting back to my dorm in an attempt to push all of the thoughts out of my head as the sword in my hand shrinks back into a key…. and I’ve somehow gotten to room 1-03, even though I’ve only taken this path once.

 

“....she’s there? Okay…. um, Haruka…. there’s someone here to see you?” Yui asks as she opens the door and takes my hand.

 

“Yui, I don’t think there’s anyone in here.” I answer, for all I see is furniture and my unpacked suitcases. She doesn’t answer, and keeps guiding me through the room and another doorway.

_That’s weird…. but maybe it’s the emergency exit or something?_

The door opens into a dome-shaped glass room with a circular table in the center. There’re three chairs at the table, and an elegant dark-skinned man is sitting in one of them….

 

_Have I seen him before? I feel like I have, but it’s like I…. met him in a dream._

_If I’m not completely wrong, this is the guy who keeps showing up in my dreams. Or at least I think that’s him? Except that doesn’t seem possible…._

_With how weird Ohtori Academy is though, anything could be possible._

“My name is Kanata Ohtori. It’s nice to meet you again, Princess.” he says, pulling me back into reality.


	3. Chapter 3

“....Haruka, the student council is also interested in having you join them?” Yui asks, pulling me out of my attempts to compile my thoughts into a coherent phrase.

 

“I’ve only been here for a day and I’m an awful student. Are you sure they didn’t send it to you?” I answer.

 

_Also, I might’ve…. murdered….. Kirara….. so the police are probably going to show up and arrest me once someone finds her and-_

“It is impossible for people to die in Ohtori, Haruka.” Kanata remarks, as if he’s heard my thoughts.

_Can you read my mind? Is that why you show up in my dreams?_

_Thank you for calling me Haruka, by the way. I really don’t like being seen as your superior._

“If I showed up, they’d lock me out of the meeting, for I’m just an ordinary person.” Yui says, staring at the key in my hand….

 

_Yui, you’re not. You’re one of the smartest and most creative people I know…._

“Shouldn’t the headmistress be aware of my grades and that I haven’t been in class?” I ask, trying to find some way to make sense of this situation….

 

_They’re obsessed with magic. Even though there are only three keys and probably more people on a council._

“Headmistress Ohtori does not play a major role in the administration of this school.” Kanata answers as he begins to stare at a spot on the table.

 

_That’s an even better reason why I shouldn’t be anywhere near the council!_

“Yui, tell them that I’m not interested.” I say, but she’s staring at Kanata like he’s a ghost.

 

“You… do actually exist, then?” she asks.

 

_What? I’m pretty sure this is reality and he’s sitting right in front of us in a glass room…._

“....yes, I am her brother and the prince in this game, if that is what you are concerned about.” he answers, as the room suddenly darkens and I exit my chair and walk out the door.

_Why…. are you so resigned to being, for lack of a better word, just a game piece?_

* * *

 

The garden is a prison. Or is there a prison within the garden that looks like a birdcage, and I’ve stumbled into it by mistake?

 

Either way, all I know is that I’m back in that rose garden, only everything’s completely dark and the walls are metal bars and it’s raining….

 

Lighting strikes the birdcage, unmasking an army of shadows and a pale, red-headed girl handcuffed to the wall. I rush towards her as adrenaline rises in my veins, for I have to save her….

 

_Wait, who exactly is this girl? Have I even met her?_

The shadow girls are laughing and chasing me as I run towards the girl, but they’ll never catch me. I won’t let anyone stop me from doing this, for there is a prisoner in this mad garden and I’m going to break her out.

 

The world illuminates again, and I’ve reached the girl, who is emotionlessly staring at the floor. Her eyes are closed, and her skin is unnaturally pale…..

 

_That’s because this is a corpse, Haruka?_

There’s another hand in the room. I don’t know when it got there, but it’s a lot darker than the first one, and there’s another body handcuffed to this girl, except it’s dangling out of the barred window and I can’t see what it looks like….

 

“....don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine soon. She reminds me of you, do you know that?” Kanata says as lighting illuminates the room and the corpse dangling outside the window, which has pale hair and empty eyes….

_WHAT!? How is that possible?! What is his body doing in here when he’s alive and talking to someone?!_

“AH!!” I scream as I open my eyes to my dorm. Thankfully, I didn't wake Yui up…. and it’s sunrise.

 

“Haruka, did you have a bad dream?” Kanata asks as he walks towards me, and he’s breathing and his eyes aren’t empty and he isn’t a corpse handcuffed to a dead girl with red hair….

 

“Who is the girl in the rose garden?” I blurt out, hoping to distract myself from thinking about my dream.

 

“The girl imprisoned there is my sister.” he answers, his voice completely calm….

 

“If your sister is the headmistress of Ohtori, how can she also be dead?” I ask, for nothing about this place makes sense, and I feel like I’ve seen his sister before….

 

“....it’s a very long story and I have no wish to disturb you.” he answers, taking one of my hands in his….

_It’s…. very…. soft and lifelike, but that doesn’t mean you should keep assuming he’s dead…._

We spend the rest of the morning like this before Yui wakes up, watching the world.

 

* * *

 

A week passes before the student council comes up again.

 

Yui was able to convince all of my teachers that I had to catch up on some stuff my school didn’t cover during the time I missed, and none of them seemed aware that I was gone.

_Let me be ordinary. I’ll become a much better flower if I’m not caught up in madness. Please._

Absolutely no one has any idea exactly why Kirara left Ohtori. No one knows exactly who started up the duels again, or that I had anything to do with it all.

 

I should be happy about this. I should be happy that no one has any clue that I could’ve murdered someone who didn’t even do anything to me, happy that I’m no longer dreaming of prisons and corpses…. and for the most part, I am.

 

But there’s a little voice in my head that keeps telling me that I’m abandoning someone.

_“Do you truly wish to throw away everything, when you are the only person who can save her?”_

Kanata’s still been staying with me in the room that mysteriously sprung up out of my dorm. I want to talk to him, but there’s something strangely distant about all of his actions and I’m pulled back into thinking about corpses every time I see him.

 

_It’s almost like he’s…. scared of me? Or something…. like mutual avoidance because I keep thinking about that corpse dream when I see him and I really should stop doing that…._

Still, the rest of the week goes by relatively normally, until a note appears on the tea-table.

_Princess Flora, you have put yourself in a position where you cannot refuse this offer. I am expecting you to join me today, lest you risk expulsion._

_-Kaido Minami._

 

* * *

 

_What happens if you don’t go along with it? Just get expelled, and let your own growth stagnate…._

“Haruka, have you seen Yui anywhere?” Kanata asks as he walks out of my dorm.

 

“I don’t think so?” I answer, but she’s probably somewhere with her new book ideas and magical words….

 

“....then you should go to the garden right now if you want her to live.” he commands.

 

_Wait, WHAT?!_

_What’s happening to Yui?! How did she get there?! You told me people couldn’t die here, but were you just lying so I didn’t have to come to terms with murdering Kirara?!_

“Why?! How much time do I have left to save her?!” I exclaim, grabbing him by the shoulders and almost slamming him against the wall as nervous energy rushes through my veins….

_I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!_

 

“....the headmistress…. suggested that in order to set everything back on its proper path, you should be given you a concrete incentive to duel, Haruka….” he calmly says, acting as if it’s perfectly normal for people to slam him against walls….

_….like that guy who I stumbled upon with a crazy sister and…. oh god, what did I walk in on?! That crazy lady’s Headmistress Ohtori? She’s the one pulling all the strings here and abusing her brother and-_

 

“Princess, you must hurry.” he says as he passes me my pink key and the two of us run towards the garden like a pair of madmen, hoping that I didn’t end up playing a role in the murder of my best friend….

_Yui, I’m sorry! Please forgive me for this…. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone…._

“Haruka, please…. I never meant for the situation to hit this point….” Kanata says as he slams my key into the gate and it opens, transforming my uniform into a gown and the key into a sword….

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll save Yui and everything’s going to be fine!” I exclaim, as the gate closes and I sprint through the garden, hoping to find her….

_There’s a girl strapped to a coffin in front of me. She has dark hair in two braids and glasses and is my best friend, who I won’t let die because of my actions…._

“....there are twenty minutes, Princess Flora. It is a pleasure to see you.” an elegant blue-haired girl says as she points a rapier towards my throat.

 

“Who the hell are you?!” I exclaim.

 

“PRECURE FROZEN RIPPLE!” she yells, as ice washes over me….

 

* * *

 

_Is there any way for me to save myself?! I can’t spend the rest of my life as some ice-sculpture while Yui gets murdered and this crazy academy keeps letting people die…._

“...I didn’t want to prolong our confrontation, Princess Flora.” the blue-haired girl says as I try to figure out how to unfreeze myself and break this ice…

 

_You can’t move your body at all, but can you speak? Try an attack on the ice…_

“Are you just going to leave me like this while you murder Yui and leave everyone to the whims of a crazy person?!” I exclaim, so I can talk, but I don’t know if any attack would just instantly rebound on myself…

 

_“Princess, the only limit to this world is your imagination.”_

“Ohtori Towa is a visionary. In this world she created, the only limitation one has is their imagination.” Minami says, as if she’s heard Kanata’s words and is twisting them to support her own ends…

 

_Wait, why does it sound like she’s a robot?! Like she’s just robotically parroting something she doesn’t believe?_

“PRECURE FLORAL SHOOT!” I exclaim, the words coming out of nowhere as the ice shatters into millions of pieces…

 

_I don’t have to fight her. Just save Yui, and everything’s going to work out…_

I’m about to run towards the coffin she’s tied to when Minami brandishes a sword against my neck. I quickly slam my blade against hers, hoping to disarm her before time runs out and Yui dies…

 

“You have no reason to destroy a world so close to perfection. There is no reason for you to continue in your wanton destruction of the world she built.” she says, her voice still sounding completely robotic.

 

“Yes, it’s such a beautifully perfect world run by a complete madwoman who murders people and abuses her brother and doesn’t even play a single role in running the world she supposedly created!” I exclaim, as she slips her rapier in my right hand, disarming me…

 

_Just grab the sword, stop fighting her, and run towards-_

“The prince does not exist. Only in the world of incentives for liars and crazy dreams, he is real.” Minami says as I run towards the coffin and begin to climb it, hoping that Yui’s still alive.

 

“Then tell me why he gave me a key to this garden! Why would someone who doesn’t exist want me to-” I begin as Minami starts following me up the massive coffin, but my thoughts suddenly overcome me.

_He wants you to save everyone here. By throwing someone into this game with no desire to carry out the plans of his sister, you can shatter everything, Haruka._

 

_Then again, I only found out about his sister being crazy because I overslept and didn’t know where anything was…_

Minami grabs onto my ankle as I reach for one of the ropes binding Yui to the coffin, and I can’t let her throw me off of such a high place, she’s going to kill me….

 

“PRECURE TRINITY EXPLOSION!” I scream.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

When the light clears away, Yui is lying in my arms and I have no idea where Minami is.

 

_She was crushed by that coffin you blew up, Haruka! You killed her!_

“...what am I doing in here? Haruka, what’s going on?” Yui asks, thankfully yanking me out of my thoughts.

 

“Someone kidnapped you and knocked you out, Yui. Are you alright?!” I exclaim, grabbing my sword and sprinting out the door with her, for I don’t know if she’s injured and she needs to recover from this…

 

“....I’m fine, Haruka.” she answers, as I rush back to our dorm and place her on her bed.

 

_I need to get started on… hey, where’s the door? The one to the room where I left my stuff in and which showed up when Kanata got here…_

_Speaking of Kanata, I didn’t see him after he opened the door… I hope he’s okay…._

“Haruka, why are you staring at a wall?” Yui asks, pulling me out of my thoughts, but I need to see Kanata for some reason, and I don’t know why…

 

“There used to be a door here. Yui, I’m meeting a friend, and I’ll be back soon!” I exclaim, as I rush out the door and onto the nearby staircase.

 

* * *

 

“You are mine. I won’t let this happen again, no matter what….” a voice says as I reach the fifth floor.

 

_Wait, this is the our crazy headmistress with a brother who’s somehow a good person, and… this is where Kanata’s been the whole time._

I want to be completely wrong. I want my thoughts to be completely irrational and for no one else to end up hurt or dead because of me, but I’m still sprinting towards the door and hoping that it isn’t locked…

 

“Did you give her a key or not!? TELL ME EVERYTHING!" the headmistress exclaims, as I grab the doorknob and attempt to yank it open, but the door’s locked.

 

“....everything I’m doing is to save you.” Kanata says on the other side of the door, and I need to get him out of there, for who knows what’s happening to him…

 

_Just break it down, you idiot! You’ve been holding the key that gives you magical powers the whole time!_

Before I can say anything, the door falls out of its frame. Thankfully, I’m able to jump out of its path and save myself from being crushed… and I can see whatever’s happening on the other side...

 

_WHAT?!_

_Please, let this be something else. I’ll even take murder over witnessing whatever the hell’s going on right now…_

_Why are they doing this?! Why does he even want to save her, after the gigantic mess his life’s turned into?_ _Why has no one investigated Ohtori?! Why is this place such a mess on the inside…_

“Haruka, you should not be here right now.” Kanata says as I’m running away from the room, desperately trying to erase what I just saw from my mind….

 

* * *

 

When I get back to my room, Yui’s gone, and the door in the wall’s back. I push it open and am greeted by a table set with a pair of teacups, and Kanata’s calmly drinking from one of them, like this is perfectly ordinary.

 

_For all I know, this could be normal for him. And it probably is and I want to hit something._

“...how did this get here again?” I ask as I walk into the tearoom and my key turns into a sword for some reason.

 

“It disappeared, Haruka?” he asks, confusion rising on his face.

 

_Shouldn’t you know that the door randomly disappeared when I got back from saving Yui? Didn’t you put it there?_

“If you’re the one who created this door and the tearoom inside and the cups and can visit me in my dreams, then yes, you should know how to get rid of what you create.” I answer, as I grab a teacup and drink it all.

 

“...that… isn’t possible? Or did I just think she did it for me?” he asks.

 

_Why are you so confused? Don’t you have the ability to manipulate reality, and why would you assume that your sister was manipulating reality for you to come here when she clearly-_

“Is your sister also capable of manipulating reality?” I blurt out, trying to derail the train of messed-up images that’s running through my mind…

 

“Considering that all of Ohtori Academy is her creation, then yes, she is.” he answers, as my teacup refills with more tea, which seems to have sugar in it.

 

“If she created this entire academy, why do you need me to save her from it? She could just generate another world where everything’s fine, or you could just destroy everything and make another world, since you’re apparently capable of warping reality as well…” I say, for why exactly does he need me for this?

 

“...I didn’t believe that I could do anything, and I can’t end this world without killing everyone here. As for Towa…. the girl she is now isn’t the person she actually is, but the real her’s been hidden inside of this corrupted mask ever since she died, and I want to pull her out.” he answers, as he drinks another glass of tea and the tearoom darkens.

 

_I still think she’s responsible for everything that’s happening to this place…._

“Why is she alive if she’s dead?” I ask, and I think I hear something exploding behind me.

 

“Because she was able to save herself after being impaled, and ended up saving my life by letting us fall into a hospital in this world.” he answers, and this explanation just confuses me even more.

 

_Why are both of you capable of manipulating reality? What’s this other world you brought up? Why do you even need me, Kanata? Were you manipulating the world so I could show up here? Why is there something exploding outside of this tearoom?_

_What’s even going on? What’s real, and what isn’t?_

“Haruka, if you don’t mind, I’m going to show you something.” Kanata says, pulling me out of my questions as the rose garden appears around us.

 

* * *

 

“Why did you bring me here, Kanata?” I ask, as I realize that we’re standing in a room that both looks and feels familiar, and there’s something hanging outside of the window…

 

_The thing hanging outside the window is his own corpse, which was probably just fabricated for the dream I had, for he clearly isn’t dead…._

“...I thought it’d be best to tell you how Towa and I ended up on Earth by bringing you to what’s left of the world we came from….” he answers, as he looks out the window, and I can’t see any reason for him to look at his own corpse.

 

_It’s either that or his sister’s hand, and both of them are equally as disturbing…._

Thankfully, there’s a bench in the middle on the room, which I sit down on and attempt to ignore that it’s facing the corpse of Towa Ohtori that’s hanging from the wall…

 

“....if you want to, Haruka, I can bring you somewhere else in the garden.” Kanata says as he keeps looking out the window, as if trying to recall something that’d happened a long time ago…

 

“No, I’m fine. Just keep explaining to me what the hell is going on.” I respond, for it’s almost like the world keeps denaturing and denaturing every day at Ohtori, trapping everyone in a maze of madness along the way.

 

“...it’s easier for me to just tell you a fairytale of my life, I suppose….” he rambles, and I guess I wouldn’t mind hearing one if I wasn’t trapped in such a bleak place with two dead bodies.

 

_Except I’m pretty sure that fairy tales end with everyone living happily ever after, and this one ends with an incredibly messed-up abusive sibling relationship with two reality warpers._

_Why did it end with your sister blowing up everything, for one?_

“The story actually ends with my mother blowing up everything and killing Towa.” he answers, and he probably can read my thoughts, for I’ve been communicating with him in dreams….

 

_Are you just trying to create a version of the world where she’s absolved of all blame? Will your words become reality, regardless of what actually happened before?_

“Haruka, I’m not lying. She’s behind all this, and this world is what happens when someone who can warp reality falls to despair and murders her children for starting a revolution.” Kanata says, and I don’t want to think about what could happen to everyone else at Ohtori, for his sister fits that description as well…

 

“Why did you end up on Earth, then, if you’re both dead here?!” I blurt out.

 

“.... I don’t know how she did it, but my sister somehow got us both out of here while she was being executed and I woke up to her in a coma in a hospital.” he answers, and this girl he’s describing doesn’t exactly sound like the one who’d abuse him….

 

“So, what happened after she woke up?” I ask, even though I probably already know.

 

“I thought her hair turning silver was just a side-effect of recovering from her death, but she then started acting like another person and I just went along with everything she wanted me to do because I thought it’d help her… which led towards Ohtori showing up because she wanted a world which she could always control, and then I realized that I couldn’t do anything and had to bring someone else in.” he rambles, turning away from me and staring at Towa.

 

_And that’s how this whole mess got started, and led towards everything going to hell…_

“Haruka, before you tell me that I could’ve just created a world where everything was fine, I wasn’t even aware that I could manipulate anything until today without convincing Towa.” Kanata says, pulling me out of my thoughts as everything fades away and we’re back in the tearoom.

 

_Does he blame himself for this mess? Does he think if he’d done better with his sister at first, none of this mess would’ve happened?_

BOOM!

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

The lawn is filled with girls bounds to coffins by bright red ribbons. Ohtori Academy’s completely gone now, and chunks of rubble fall around us as the sky turns black.

_What just happened?! Is everyone dead now?! The world’s going to end, isn’t it, and we’re all responsible for it…._

_Yui… Kirara, Minami, everyone…. I’m sorry! I don’t what got you here, but you all should’ve left and I’m the one who caused this meltdown, all because I existed, right…._

“Don’t blame yourself for this…. I should’ve expected something like this to happen, considering her obsession with controlling me….” Kanata says.

 

“She’s willing to kill everyone here for no reason?!” I exclaim.

 

“....this world reflects her mental state, so everyone is going to die if we don’t save her. Haruka, I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess, but I need to see her right now.” he answers, before kissing me on the hand and running through the maze of coffins, as if he doesn’t know that all of the girls on the coffins are waking up and trying to attack him.

 

_I’m not leaving you to the mercy of an undead zombie army! I’m coming with you and I’m going to help you, for you do not have to do this on your own._

“There’s no way I’ll abandon the world to the mercy of crazy people! PRECURE FLORAL HURRICANE!” I exclaim, grabbing my sword and running through the zombies as a massive pink storm knocks some out.

 

* * *

 

_Even if Kanata’s made his way through this army without dying, how do I know where he is? Can I even reach him without getting murdered?!_

I can’t fill myself with doubt, when the fate of the world hinges on Kanata and I preventing the world of this academy from ending. Cracks are showing up in the ground, and the zombies are shooting blue fire at me while I dodge and deflect their attacks.

 

“PRECURE FLORAL SHIELD!” I scream, hoping that it’ll be able to deflect the flames and save me….

 

_“Haruka, what are you doing?! I don’t want you to risk your life for me, and everything’s fine!”_

I want to tell him that I know that he’s probably lying and I want to help him, but I can’t distract myself from slashing at the zombies heading towards me, their eyes completely empty and lifeless….

 

_Hey, why is there a pair of glasses on the ground? They look like Yui’s…. did I just kill her?! How many girls did I end up killing just to get to Kanata?!_

_Granted, I don’t know if they’re fully themselves or if they’re just puppets, but that doesn’t mean that murdering them is justified, Haruka!_

“PRECURE TRINITY EXPLOSION!” I exclaim, trying to get myself to stop thinking about murdering people, for Kirara was still conscious after I did that to her, and no one can die here, right?!

 

_Yes, no one can die in Ohtori, but the academy’s gone and Towa’s about three steps away from blowing up this entire world…._

The gate’s to the garden’s in front of me. There’s no one blocking it, and the sword’s turned back into a key. Impulsively, I run towards it and shove the key in the keyhole, where I’m greeted by a circular floor with rose patterns on it.

 

_Is this everything that’s left of the academy? The place where I could’ve killed people?!_

Explosions of blue fire surround me. They illuminate a chair with someone tied to it, and someone holding a short sword to their neck….

 

_You told me that nothing was wrong! How are you still alive?!_

* * *

 

“PRECURE FLORAL HURRICANE!” I exclaim, and the whirlwind shows up again, except the only thing it does is shatter my own sword to bits and move Towa towards me.

 

_You’re fighting a reality-warper who wants everyone dead! You shouldn’t be thinking about defeating her, but convincing her out of murdering her brother and killing everyone in Ohtori for good!_

“I was holding back earlier, but it seems that I shouldn’t have underestimated you, Princess.” she says as she floats towards me, and at least she’s nowhere near the chair.

 

“Why do you want to destroy everything?!” I exclaim, hoping that this can at least help me figure out what to say….

 

“You, of course. You sent the perfect world I created to ruin. Without you, my brother, Nanase, Amanogawa, Kaido, and all of the others would’ve been perfect, and you send them all on a downwards spiral!” she screams, generating a sword out of nowhere and slashing me in the face with it….

 

_You’re responsible for causing at least two of them to fall into despair, and the only one that’s close to fine is the one whose only contact with you was convincing you to let me in!_

“Heh…. now do you understand me, Princess? This is the world I built, and it is my duty to eliminate all that pose a threat to it!” she exclaims, shooting blue flames out of her hands as I run towards the chair, for I can’t have killed someone else just by being careless….

 

“All I did was receive a key in this garden and promise to help your brother save you! Can’t you see that there’s something seriously wrong with being unable to see that your obsession with controlling every single aspect of everyone’s life is wrong!” I shout as I run through a hailstorm of swords, hoping that I won’t die or get written out of existence.

 

“I don’t want to be betrayed again. I’m going to remove you two from the chessboard, and start over.” she responds, her voice surprisingly calm as the swords fall around me, just barely missing my limbs….

 

“You’re willing to murder your brother and hundreds of girls just because you can’t control them?!” I exclaim, for her calmness in the face of murder is freaking me out….

 

“If that is the only way to stop them from going against me, then yes. I’ve tried everything else.” she says, and I can’t move at all….

 

_You paralyzed me?!_

_Haruka, do something! Anything! Try to move or say something or even think…._

The paralysis briefly lifts, but all I can do is move my hand before it sets back in place…. and there’s a blade covered in blue flames flying towards my neck.

 

_Just try to move! Try to find some way to circumvent the paralysis!_

I want to scream. I want to grab the sword’s handle and aim it towards Towa. I want to escape and attack her and find someway to set this mess right, but all I can do is wait for my death and everything’s turning black….

 

“HARUKA!”

 

* * *

 

“You planned this, didn’t you? You planned my downfall.” Towa says as the darkness recedes, and I’m clearly not dead…. yet Kanata’s lying in front of me, and he’s completely motionless.

 

_Why?! You didn’t have to do this! I didn’t want you to die!_

“You liar…. you set this all up, and I have to punish you.” she says, and she can hear my thoughts….

 

_I didn’t plan for anyone to die! You killed your own brother, just because you didn’t have any clue that everything he did was to help you!_

“....what? I don’t….” she asks, and her hair’s turning red for some reason.

 

_The girl in the prison is the girl he’s been trying to draw out. This is who Towa Ohtori was…._

“Are you aware of everything you did here?” I ask, for she’s stopped paralyzing me and is now in a white dress.

 

“....why am I here? I’m dead, right?” she answers, so she has no idea what’s happened since she died, and I’m stuck explaining everything to her…

_Kanata…. she’s herself again, I think…. so it worked. I’m sorry that this was how it happened._

“I think your brother said that you somehow saved both of you, and ended up creating a girls’ school in Japan which you destroyed, and everyone there is dead because of you destroying the world because you thought that your brother was going to kill you.” I say, for that’s the best answer I can give, and also the least disturbing….

 

She doesn’t answer, and a ledge has appeared out of nowhere.

 

_No! No one else is going to die because of this! If she has no idea what she did, then she isn’t exactly culpable._

“You’re capable of creating new worlds, right? You could just start over, and create a world where none of this happened…” I say as I run towards her and grab her shoulder, for I don’t want her to destroy herself.

 

“....it wouldn’t make up for what I did.” she answers, as she looks over the ledge.

 

“Wouldn’t it show that you can be a person who’s not obsessed with controlling everything to the point of abuse?” I ask, pulling her away from it and beginning to ramble on about everything that happened, for this isn’t just her second chance, it’s Kanata’s and Yui’s and Minami’s and Kirara’s and everyone else’s as well.

 

When this world ends, I am smiling.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

I’m visiting my younger sister at Ohtori Girls Academy, which she keeps gushing about in all of her letters. Unfortunately, I have the misfortune of looking absolutely nothing like her, and we don’t even share last names.

_Yes, I’m here for Towa Akagi. Yes, I am her legal guardian. Yes, I play the violin. No, I don’t kidnap children._

_Haruka, I don’t know how you did it, but thank you for this new world._

Unfortunately, I end up walking into someone who’s standing near me with a girl whose hair is in two short pigtails.

 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” I say, as the woman turns towards me, and something about her feels familiar.

_Haruka? Did you know her, back then?_

“No, don’t worry. I’m Moe Haruno, and I’m here to register my daughter for next year.” she answers, and there are a million things I want to tell her.

 

_Your older daughter is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, did you know that? There’s a statue of her in the courtyard, although no one will know who it’s of._

“...our neighbor’s been a surrogate elder sister to her ever since we could remember, and since she’s attending Ohtori, my daughter wants to do so as well.” she answers, as she walks into the office and I make my way up the stairs.

 

_I still won’t like that room at all, but they’ll just blame it on the stairs and not the past. At least they aren’t harbouring a fraternal abuser who warps reality._

“SURPRISE!” my sister exclaims as I reach the fifth floor hallway and am greeted by her embracing me.

 

“....I didn’t expect you to be so enthusiastic.” I quip, as she opens the door to her room, which faces the courtyard.

 

_I think I’ll go see her later. I’ll bring some roses, Haruka._

“Anyways, I got you the roses, even though you probably have a million of them from your concerts.” my sister remarks, as she passes me a paper bag and a donut.

 

“Unfortunately, roses dry out, and I don’t get the free donuts at the concerts. Is Minami here?” I ask.

 

“She’s with Yui downstairs and Kirara’s filming. You’re actually interested in playing for her?” she answers, snatching the donut out of my hands and eating it.

 

_Of course. After all, it’d be nice if everyone in this world would be able to reach their dreams after the despair they suffered in the last._

“....they’ll be back in twenty minutes, so what exactly are you doing with the roses?” my sister asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

 

“They’re for a friend of mine. I hope you’ll like her.” I answer, as I walk out the door of that room and my sister joins me.

 

“I didn’t know you were dating anyone, Kanata.” she says.

 

_I’m not. She…. doesn’t exist right now, actually, but she’s the reason why we’re both not dead._

We walk into the courtyard, and her statue’s standing right in the middle of it. I’m removing the flowers from the bag when I notice that my sister’s reading the plaque and crying.

 

“....did I know her, Kanata?” she asks.

 

“Maybe we all did in another life, Towa.” I answer, as I set the flowers by her statue.

 

 


End file.
